南極探險日常

Linda Smith

南極洲是一個美妙的地方，我們中很少有人能去實地參觀。但幸運的是，去過南極洲的探險者很樂意分享他們的探險故事。

It's a wild and wonderful place that few of us will ever be lucky enough to visit.

But fortunately, several Australians who have been to Antarctica are happy to share their tales of adventure, bringing a taste of the coldest, windiest place on earth to the wider population as part of the Australian

Antarctic Festival in Hobart.

The festival, which usually runs in

August, aims to provide an insight into the beauty of Antarctica, the science that is carried out there, the rich history of the place and the partnerships between vari?ous organizations. And central to this, of course, are the people who have ventured to some of the world's most remote loca?tions, and those who explore and protect the huge frozen land mass at the bottom of our planet.

Tasmanian journalist David Killick,who is also a qualified chef, has taken part in six expeditions to Commonwealth Bay,about 2,500 km south of Hobart. His most recent expedition was in December last year.

“My job this time was running the communications equipment, photography,cooking,and being a storeman and weather observer. I also did a penguin count and we built an automatic weather station for an American university. Everyone had five or six different jobs,”Killick said. Other jobs included emptying toilets and collect?ing penguins'poo samples.

Killick said although trips to Antarc?tica came with risks, and teams needed to be skilled and well?prepared, it was also exciting to be in a new environment, far from the familiar routine of daily life.“The phone doesn't ring.There's no access to so?cial media. We have access to emails, so we might check emails once a day using satellite communications.”

Reading Check

Antarctica looks and sounds cold but truly amazing. Would you like to see it for yourself someday?

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